The Decorator: MUSEUM OF OLD AND NEW ART - An Idiosyncratic Boys Own Adventure

Thursday, February 24, 2011

MUSEUM OF OLD AND NEW ART - An Idiosyncratic Boys Own Adventure

The recently opened MONA sits on the River Derwent in the exotic end of the earth location of Tasmania.

Bunker down at MONA

The curved mirrored entry greets the visitor, who may have arrived by boat, and then the museum descends underground like a bunker.

MONA is the brainchild of gambling guru David Walsh, who is definitely not interested in playing it safe. He has amassed an eclectic, challenging, and sometimes confronting collection which ranges from Egyptian and Roman antiquities, Modernist Australian art, all the way up to contemporary works from all over the world.

The visitor will find no explanatory plaques, and the collection is in no specific order. Walsh wants the viewer to just experience the work at first sight with no preconceived notions or influence.

One of the more controversial works, "The Holy Virgin Mary" by Chris Ofili, which features a collage of pornographic images and cow dung, has it's very own interesting history which includes being part of the iconic contemporary British show of 1997, Sensation, and later in 1999 being part of the scandal which included former New York City Mayor Guiliani suing the The Brooklyn Museum of Art for showing the work.

On this basis, the show was consequently cancelled from being shown at the

National Gallery of Australia, and how appropriate it is that Walsh was

finally successful in acquiring it!

'The HolyVirgin Mary' by Chris Ofili

Then there is the specially commissioned work by Wim Delvoye, which reproduces in "smell-o-vision" the human digestive system, sure to be a 'crowd pleaser'!

The German art star Anselm Kiefer can also be seen. The Kiefer Pavilion which houses his
'Falling Stars/The breaking of the Vessels', is a sculptural work combining lead, glass and iron.
The quote on the MONA web site, (I am not sure if it is from Kiefer himself or Walsh), best sums it up!

"We kind of like the idea that you have to come to the end of the earth, and then a museum on an island off the end of the earth, and then a pavilion at the far side of the museum on the island off the end of the earth, to see this German neo-expressionist masterpiece!"

ANSELM KIEFER sculpture "Falling Stars/The Breaking of the Vessels"

I think MONA without a doubt is destined to be an important contribution to the international art world. I like that it's creator David Walsh has tried to push the boundaries in Australian terms, and not follow a 'cookie-cutter' approach to his collection and Museum. I think the location is exotic and there is something so mysterious about Tasmania, in the world context, which I think would perfectly compliment the collection.
While you can see the usual suspects of Australian art history, Whitely, Nolan, Blackman et al, I am pleased and looking forward to being moved and confronted, after all, isn't that what art is about?

I also look forward to staying in one of the luxurious Mona Pavilions which honour our Australian icons of art and architecture. Art and a glass of wine from Walsh's Moorilla Estate, sound good to me!